The judge said: “No court record of this proceeding could ever fully convey the personal sacrifice of these two plaintiffs who seek to ensure that the state may no longer impair the rights of their children and the thousands of others now being raised by same-sex couples.”

Unlike judges in other states, Friedman did not immediately put a stay on his ruling, which would delay any enforcement of the ruling until after appeals.

The ruling is the fifth in recent months in which a ban has been declared unconstitutional, following Texas, Utah, Oklahoma and Virginia.